Mark Pinto

Classical Host

A Philadelphia native, Mark grew up in Roxborough and at WRTI has followed in the footsteps of his father, William, who once hosted a music program on the station back in the '50s.

As an undergraduate at La Salle University, Mark hosted their radio station's only classical music program. He went on to become the weekend overnight host at WFLN-FM for seven years until the station changed format in 1997.

In addition to his undergrad degree in communications from La Salle, Mark also holds a graduate degree in library science from Drexel University. He is currently the Adult Services Director at Phoenixville Public Library, where he has worked since 1997. Jill Pasternak, Rolf Charlston, and Jeff Duperon (so far) have made appearances at the library, lecturing to roomfuls of admiring and appreciative fans. Mark brings his cataloging skills to WRTI, where he assists Jack Moore with entering new classical CDs into the station’s database.

Mark is an active volunteer with the Chester County Pops Orchestra. At his church, he coordinates the lector (liturgical reader) program and also serves as cantor and member of the tenor section of the choir. He sings with other choral groups around Montgomery and Chester counties, including Musica Concordia, which is directed by Kile Smith's wife, Jacqueline. Mark is also available for weddings, funerals, etc...

Hear Mark on Saturdays from 12 to 1 pm and from 5 to 6 pm as host of WRTI's Classical New Releases program.

Black History Month would not be complete without acknowledging R. Nathaniel Dett , one of the most successful black composers. An authoritative new recording of his complete piano works by Clipper Erickson shines a welcome light on a major portion of Dett’s output.

Dett was distinguished as a choir leader, pianist, teacher, poet, and writer, as well as composer. Born in Drummondville (now Niagara Falls), Ontario in 1882, Robert Nathaniel Dett...

WRTI's Mark Pinto , host of the Classical New Releases show, fills you in on the latest and greatest classical music CDs every Saturday at 5 pm. Here are five newly released recordings he recommends: Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott: Songs From the Arc of Life Almost since the day Kathryn Stott laid eyes on Yo-Yo Ma in his underwear while practicing the cello in her London flat, the two have been making...

James Horner: Pas de Deux Disillusionment with atonal contemporary music then being written drove the young James Horner to film scoring. In November 2014, after years of movie successes, the 61-year-old film composer ( Titanic , Avatar , The Amazing Spider-Man ) returned to the concert hall with a triumph, his Double Concerto for violin and cello. The work was premiered by its dedicatees, the Norwegian Samuelsen siblings Mari and Hakon.

WRTI's Mark Pinto , host of the Classical New Releases show, fills you in on the latest and the greatest classical music CDs every Saturday at 5 pm. Here are five newly released recordings he recommends: Sokolov: The Salzburg Recital. Though celebrated for the breadth of his repertoire, epic interpretations, and boundless imagination, Russian-born pianist Grigory Sokolov has become...

WRTI's Mark Pinto , host of the Classical New Releases show, fills you in on the latest and the greatest classical music CDs every Saturday at 5 pm. Here are five newly released recordings he recommends: Faure: Masques et bergamasques. From the late 1980s through the first decade of the 21st century, the profile of the Seattle Symphony was raised considerably in the music world...

WRTI's Mark Pinto , host of the Classical New Releases show, fills you in on the latest and the greatest classical music CDs every Saturday at 5 pm. Here are five recordings to pay special attention to. Jonas Kaufmann: You Mean The World To Me . Jonas Kaufmann and the Berlin Radio Symphony recreate the songs made famous by the tenor stars of 1920s and '30s Berlin in this delightful collection of songs...

WRTI's Mark Pinto, host of the Classical New Releases show, fills you in on the latest and the greatest classical music CDs every Saturday at 5 pm. Here are six recordings to pay special attention to... Milos, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor: Aranjuez. The young guitarist Milos from Montenegro continues to win new fans wherever he goes. Now with this recording he brings his trademark passion and intimacy to bear on the two most popular works for guitar and orchestra ever composed. In the tender moments he caresses the strings, and through some close miking, every caress can be felt. Having Yannick on hand to guide the London Philharmonic and let Milos "do his thing" should help the guitarist gain some new admirers in Philadelphia. http://youtu.be/kOb3K6QlF8A Ailyn Perez & Stephen Costello: Love Duets. This is a long-awaited debut disc from Philly’s "first couple" of opera (they met while students at the Academy of Vocal Arts and still perform together in the area), and it is as aurally delightful as they are photogenic. The husband-and-wife team makes convincing heat on these love duets from popular operas and classic Broadway musicals. A keepsake for Philadelphia opera fans. http://youtu.be/qHbdK4-rpt4 Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis: The Silver Album . Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist and Temple University professor Lambert Orkis celebrate 25 years as a performing team with this two-disc release. At first glance they may seem an unlikely pair. However, both share a keen interest in contemporary music and in other ways have found each other to be musical soulmates. "It quickly became clear how perfectly we breathe and phrase together," says Mutter. Superb studio and live performances from their last 25 years of music-making, of violin/piano sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Fauré, are featured here alongside new recordings of Massenet and Ravel. Plus, there are two world-premiere recordings: a dazzling and fiendishly difficult solo violin work by Krzysztof Penderecki, and André Previn's touching and lighthearted duo sonata. This is a wonderful commemorative of an enduring artistic partnership. http://youtu.be/v9YowLzeC0c Yundi : Emporer/Fantasy, Beethoven and Schumann . Chinese pianist Yundi (the artist formerly known as Yundi Li) has developed and matured significantly in the years since he became the youngest pianist to win the International Chopin Competition in 2000 at the age of 18. His formidable technique is on display here in a Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto performance so assured it may strike some as a tad on the cool side. But his real achievement is the sheer poetry and architectural mastery he brings to Schumann’s masterpiece, which can come off as rather unruly and unwieldy in the wrong hands. With awe, one wonders what Yundi's next musical conquest might be.